Dear Fellow Rotarians & Guests,

A huge thank you for Scott Rainey for an awesome job on our installation. Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to be here. You have been a huge supporter of me.

I want to thank President Raleigh for an awesome job he did this past rotary year. Without his leadership, I am not sure we would be where we are now. You adapted to change in lightning speed and this is very impressive. I have big shoes to fill

I am especially grateful for my wife Cindy. She has always supported me in everything I do and has been super supportive of me being President of our club.

Personal

Back in 2016, when I joined the Sugar Land Rotary, I would have never thought I would be standing here this evening. (Elaborate is appropriate)

2016 was an interesting year for me and my family. I was very excited about the opportunity to join an organization that gives back, something I really wanted to do. 2016 also brought along some health challenges. On this very date, June 23, 2016, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma cancer, only 3 weeks into become a Sugar Land Rotarian. Instead of sidelining myself, despite all my treatments, I still wanted to be part of this awesome club and participate in everything we are doing. Members in this very club embraced me, including me in activities, and allowing me to be myself, giving back to the community. 

I feel like the last 4 years have allowed me to discover my talents and give back to our community more than I ever expected.

My theme

Back in January, when I was running in our neighborhood I had a thought. I wanted to have a theme for the year I am President. The first thing that came to mind was “Be Bold, Do Something Different.” Not realizing at the time the theme would have relevance in today’s time, it was so important that we be bold, do something different.

Our club actually starting using the theme “Be Bold, Do Something Different.” This was demonstrated by our club hosting its first 5K race embracing a community spirit. This was different, a second fundraiser. We were bold in taking a chance on doing something different. I personally was bold and did something different, starting our dinner with a bagpipe. 

More than ever, our club and rotary needs to Be Bold and Do Something Different. Our way of fundraising will be different in the coming year, however we are bold and will step up and do something different allowing us to raise the much needed funds.

Weekly Meetings and ideas for next year

This year’s weekly meetings will be a little different since SWCC is closed for the remainder of the year. 

• Starting in July, we will start meeting in person, however, have an option available for members and guest to participate online. For the next few months we will be meeting at Churasscos. We will meet the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th Wednesday of each month, they are booked on the 1^st Wednesday of each month with another group. More details to come about this. If there is a 5^th Wednesday, we will also meet.
• The format of the weekly meetings will be slightly different. The goal is to have a speaker for each meeting and not conduct a business meeting. The agenda will have a small change; we will say the 4-way test before our meeting adjourn, before ending the meeting.
• RI President Elect, Holgar Knaack, mentioned during this year’s PETs conference that we need to grow Rotary at all levels, not just membership, but in other ways, considering our relevance. This includes engaging in a digital strategy, bringing on younger members, and connecting more in our communities. The goal for the upcoming year, to follow the lead of Holgar Knaack, creating an environment that embraces Rotary Opens Opportunities. 
• The incoming board has been meeting informally the last couple of months. During our discussions we realized that we need to adapt a digital strategy. This includes
  • Creating a YouTube channel
  • Instead of engaging in email (not eliminating it), I will be doing small videos each week to talk about our upcoming weekly meetings
  • We will be testing out texting platforms as a way of communicating with members.
  • Heavy involvement in social media, more weekly posts.
  • Continue to update our website, keeping it current with events. 
  • Create a facebook event for each speaker.
• Fundraising
  • We need to be bold and do something different. Fundraising will look different this year. We have discussed that we should set a fundraising goal and then work to generate fundraising opportunities from there. (5K race)
• Board Meetings
  • Starting in July, our board meetings will be at Classic Chevrolet.
• Community services
  • Our goal is to engage in a community service project every month.
• Monthly socials
  • Rick Smith is working on creating the best way for us to socialize. He sent out a survey.
• Lastly, we will continue to be adaptable. Our environment is always changes and we need to be flexible to these changes.

Hashtag: #beboldSLRotary

Again, thank you so much for this opportunity to serve as your President.

Rotary regards,

Todd Breton

President, Sugar Land Rotary Club 2020-21